This proverb gives a reason for staying away from a foolish person; his words are not knowledge. Stay around them long enough and I will be a talking fool too. The Bible has much to say about the company that I should and shouldn’t keep. The key to keeping this wisdom is to know who is foolish and who is wise.
I have learned that I cannot determine who is wise and who is foolish by the clothes they wear, the position they hold, and not even what others say about them. In the first century in Israel, the fools were prominent men in expensive clothes, in high standing in their congregation, teachers, preachers, and most well respected. The wise followed a country preacher who wore road dusty clothes, in low standing in their congregation, were not trained teachers or preachers, and did not command respect. “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees (and Herod).” (Matthew 16:6; Mark 8:15; Luke 12:1)
Jesus said the wise are those who put his words into practice (Matthew 7:24). Jesus said the wise are like little children whom God the Father revealed his truths (Matthew 11:25). Jesus said the wise are those who keep the oil of the Holy Spirit because they do not know when he would come back and so are always prepared and ready to keep their light lit. (Matthew 25:4) Jesus taught the wise servant is the faithful who feeds his people with the truth in spirit, word, and action (Luke 12:42-43).
Am I the fool that I should keep myself away from?
